Holiday’s History

The first time Dee Holladay’s friend took him down the river, a lifelong passion began. After one-trip, Dee began running Utah’s rivers on a regular basis, delving into magnificent landscapes, grand canyons, and lively waters. In 1966 Dee and his wife, Sue, decided to become river outfitters. At first it was Holladay Expeditions, but the celebration of being on the river (not to mention the confusion in name spelling) inspired the new name of Holiday River Expeditions. Since then, Dee and Sue have spent more than 100 days on the river each year sharing their hospitality and wilderness insight with Holiday guests.

A curious and intrigued person, Dee has always educated himself about the rivers and all the life the river supports cultural, historical and ecological. Dee’s foresight in river conservation led to his unique outfitting practices and policies that are incorporated into all of Holiday’s trips and have now been adopted by the National Parks and other land management agencies in the West for their “Leave No Trace” requirements of outfitters. More recently, Dee was awarded with the National Conservation Stewardship Award from America Outdoors for his commitment and endeavors to preserve the rivers and wild lands of the west.

Sue Holladay has been with Dee through every step of the Holiday River Expeditions’ history. She is an inspiration to everyone in the office for her organization, customer service and hospitality. In the early years, Sue was the “frontline” in the office, responsible for all the trip booking and organizing. Today, she still spends several weeks on the river each year with Dee and reads every customer comment card. Sue also understands the importance of meals and camp comfort on an outdoor adventure and makes sure Holiday’s menus are full of deliciously fresh and inviting culinary treats breakfast to dinner.